The Who, What or Where Game
Host: Art James
Premise: Three contestants bid for the right to answer questions, in the game that inspired "The Challengers."
Rules: Each player is given a $125 stake to start the game. A category is presented, i.e.: World War II. Each player secretly bets up to $50 on a Who, What, or Where question based on that category.
Each question has odds: Even, 2:1, 3:1 or 4:1 for the toughest questions. The same odds may be on two, or all three questions.
After everyone has locked in their bids (5-50 in 5s), everyone "declares" what they bid and for what question. The high bidder on each question part gets to answer the question. If correct, the bid is multiplied by the odds and added to the player's bank. If a wrong answer is given, the bid is deducted from the bank.
If two (or all three) players declare for the same question, the bids are compared. Whichever player bid more money gets to play the question. If there is a tie for most money bet, the $50 limit is set aside. Instead, the players can bid any amount of money up to what they have, and whoever bids more gets to play.
The final question packet of the day (usually ten were played on one show) was the Pot Limit. Players were once again shown the category and odds, but could now bet any or all of their winnings, in $5 steps. The final questions were played, and the scores tallied. The high scorer of the day kept the money, and returned for the next show. Champions could stay on for up to five days, then they retired.